Atlantic Private Care Wellness Corner

April National Autism Awareness Month

The first National Autism Awareness Month was declared by the
Autism Society in April 1970.

The aim of this month is educate the public about autism. Autism
is a complex mental condition and developmental disability,
characterized by difficulties in the way a person communicates
and interacts with other people. Autism can be present from birth
or form during early childhood (typically within the first three
years). Autism is a lifelong developmental disability with no
single known cause.

People with autism are classed as having Autism Spectrum Disorder
(ASD) and the terms autism and ASD are often used
interchangeably. A wide spectrum disorder, people will autism
have set of symptoms unique to themselves; no two people are the
same.

Increasing Awareness About The Common Characteristics Of
Autism

While no two people with autism will have the same set of
symptoms, there are common characteristics found in those with
this complex disability. Briefly, these characteristics include:

Social Skills people with autism have problems
interacting with others; autistic children do not have adequate
playing and talking skills. Mild symptoms on one end of the
spectrum may be displayed through clumsy behavior, being out of
sync with those around them and inappropriate or offensive
comments being made. At the other end of the spectrum an autistic
person may not be interested in others.

Empathy empathy is the ability to recognize and
understand the feelings of another person. People with autism
find it harder to show empathy to others although they can be
taught to acknowledge the others feelings.

Physical Contact in some cases, autistic people
do not like physical contact such as hugs, tickling or physical
play with others.

Sudden Changes To Their Environment a sudden
change in the surrounding environment may affect a person with
autism. There could be a loud noise, a change in intensity of
lighting or even a change in smell.

Speech speech can be affected in people with
autism. 'Echolalia' is a typical speech symptom in which the
person repeats words and phrases that they hear. The speech tone
of an autistic person may be monotonous. Where symptoms are more
extreme the person may not speak.

The Puzzle Ribbon Is The Symbol For This Event

Changes To Behavior and Routine people with
autism often display repetitive behavior in which they repeat the
same action many times over. For example, a person with autism
may repeatedly pace around a room in a certain direction. Any
change to their behavior or routine can be unsettling for them.
This could be a reordering of daily activities such as when a
person brushes their teeth, takes a shower and has breakfast when
they get up in the morning.

Other characteristics of autism include an unpredictable learning
rate, obsessions and physical tics.

Autism Is Widespread, Awareness About This Condition Is
Not

In the United States, autism affects 1 in every 110 children.
National Autism Awareness Month aims to make the public more
aware about this widespread disability and the issues which arise
in the autism community. As about 1 in 150 people in America have
autism, the chances are that you know someone with this
disability. A better informed public will be more empathetic and
supportive towards people with autism.

This month is backed by the Autism Society of America which
undertake a number of activities to raise awareness about autism.
The Autism Society has local chapters throughout the United
States which hold special events throughout April.

The 'Puzzle Ribbon' is the symbol for Autism Awareness and is
promoted by the Autism Society as means of supporting awareness
for autism. The Puzzle Ribbon may take the form of a pin attached
to clothing, a fridge magnet or a sticker and are available to
purchase from the Autism Society Website www.autismsociety.org